Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday attended an event for the integration of the V-BAT unmanned aircraft system into the Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands (ASDEN), following a donation by the “Athanasios K. Laskaridis” charitable foundation.

“The system presented today has very important operational capabilities. Sometimes you look at these videos and it feels like a picture from a science fiction scenario but this is the real picture of the theatre of operations today. A huge technological advance has been made, especially in the issues of aerial surveillance and target tracking. A progress which obviously cannot leave the Greek armed forces indifferent,” he stressed. He also added that the integration of these two systems in the Greek armed forces “substantially upgrades our capabilities, allowing us to get acquainted with the most advanced version of technology. It allows us to quickly field test systems of which we can then increase the number”. In fact, he stressed that this is the advantage of these donations, in that we can relatively quickly acquire such systems, test them in the field and then determine to what extent we want to invest more in them.

“The Armed Forces are in the process of, dare I say it, the most daring transformation that has ever been initiated since the establishment of the modern Greek state. To stay ahead of the curve, we need to implement this bold ‘Agenda 2030’, which is not only about acquiring modern weapons systems but also about a different mindset. A different understanding of how the armed forces operate in theatres of operations which are changing drastically, what it means to be fully conversant with modern technology, how we can in practice upgrade our capabilities,” the he said.

At this point he made a special reference to Panos Laskaridis, who – as the Prime Minister said – has also supported the Armed Forces and especially the Hellenic Navy over the years.

He spoke of the excellent and innovative work being done at the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation (HCDI), which also enables cooperation with a system of start-up companies in the defence sector, which employ some of the best Greek minds.

The new drones have significantly increased capabilities and are characterised by a high degree of operational flexibility, high autonomy and multiple options for handling while in motion. They can operate in adverse weather conditions and in an environment with interference, with low operational costs.

National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, among others, noted: “Our new research centre, HCDI, has already launched four innovative development programmes for unmanned aerial vehicles and will launch two more by the end of the year, integrating them into a new doctrine and a new comprehensive approach.

“But it is a great pleasure for us in the Armed Forces to see that in the effort for this huge reform – the Prime Minister has said that it is the biggest reform ever undertaken in the Greek Armed Forces in the history of the modern Greece – the Armed Forces are not alone.

“I conclude by saying that we are a small country, but that does not mean that we should be a country that is not strong. There are historical examples of small but extremely strong and extremely successful countries. I think that with the reform that is taking place, we are on a good path.”